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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · fall · race · bay · pitch · ruler

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fall — to drop
  3. race — a contest
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. race — the arms race
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. race — humankind
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fall — the season
  18. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com